I finally persuaded the equipment supplier that my health insurance would, indeed, cover an electric breast pump. "Shall I send you a pump?" she asked. "Yes, please!" I said, not thinking to ask, "Which one?"

So I was disappointed to open the UPS package and find a single electric Swing instead of the double electric Pump-in-style. I know they offer both and I almost called right then to see it I could exchange it but I got to thinking...maybe the Swing would be the right pump in my situation, given that I'm staying home and my supply is OK? I don't want to open the box until I'm sure I don't need to exchange it.

I am a SAHM and likely to remain unemployed for at least a year...I want to have my husband give one bottle a day in the evening so I can get some sleep. Plus an extra bottle every now and then so I can go to my friend's birthday party and similar occasions. So I won't be pumping several times a day, but I will be pumping consistently every day, once or twice a day. My daughter is 7 weeks old.

1) My supply is pretty good, I think. I feed from one breast at a time for most of the day and my daughter is gaining more than an ounce a day. But I don't have quite as much room for error now as I did when I was having oversupply problems a few weeks ago. Will using a single electric pump endanger my milk supply?

2) As a related concern, my plan was to pump between feedings in the morning...(with the Swing, probably just from the breast that she didn't feed on)...and sleep through one meal in the evening. I won't go more 5 or 6 hours without either feeding her or pumping...or is even that too long?

3) Does the Swing have adequate suction to be effective? I experimented with hand expressing some milk this week. I can get about 1 to 3 ounces that way, depending on the time of day, my patience, and whether I do both breasts.

4) I don't really need the portability since I'll be at home with my daughter 99% of the time, but I suppose it could be a nice plus. I'll definitely want to pump when I away from her and awake.

Finally, this isn't really relevant but I just wanted to vent: my insurer will only cover pumps purchased from one of three equipment suppliers. Whatever the reason, it doesn't appear to be saving them money. My Swing came with an invoice for $500! For that I could have gotten both a Swing and a PISA retail without bothering to check for sales. Maybe they send the insurer a different bill? Or maybe the supplier delivers their savings by being really annoying to customers so they give up on collecting their breast pump? :mad:

March 23rd, 2013, 04:55 PM

@llli*babyhiccups

Re: Is a swing the thing?

You've beat mine! When I called the supplier my insurance sent me to they were out of all but one option, which I had never heard of. I looked it up and learned that it was actually a decent pump, but not battery capable, which is not ideal for me. They were supposed to email me information and the order form, but never did. I called them back and left a message with my contact information and email address, in case they did't hear correctly, but they never called back or emailed the information. I also saw online that they were back ordered 3-4 weeks because there is a "nationwide shortage of breast pumps" (must be why I can find them in the store and online with no backorder!). Anyway, I had a plugged duct/mastitis that couldn't wait 3-4 weeks, so I bought one from the local lactation consultant.

I've got the Medela freestyle, which seems to work well. I also have the hand pump, which I think can be a great tool to have handy. I liked that I could be more in control of pressure and speed using the manual pump.

Good luck!

March 24th, 2013, 07:48 AM

@llli*caledonia

Re: Is a swing the thing?

I have had the Swing since I had DS in 2008. My circumstances are totally different from yours, but I thought I'd chime in anyway. For me it's just right as I can transport it easily and with it running on batteries I don't have to look for an electrical socket. It's nice and quiet so can be used next to your LO when they sleep. The 2-phase pumping is great and really mimics the way a baby feeds. It's very reliable (I've been using it again for expressing milk for DD since she was about 2.5/3 months old for me going back to work when she was 4mo). DD is now 9mo and it's still going ok. Oh and in between my DS and DD I lent it to a friend who used it for a good 4-6 months. The only part I had to change was the breastshield, but that's no shock as it's on its 3rd round in 4years!